[mouske]

“He stated that part of his thumb was missing. I’ve always wondered how that happened. Now I know.”

Interesting. Contained in immigration papers for my grandfather who immigrated from Poland in 1920, there was mention of a missing finger. I too wondered how that happened. I wonder if the reason is similar to that of your grandfather.

[alexander_busek]

Chopping off the last joint of a few fingers or of the thumb might be a good way to avoid military service.

On the other hand - those were dangerous times for everyone; lots of people (sawmill employees, etc.) had missing fingers.

Regards,